A couple of days ago various consumer groups proposed Malaysian Government that sugar subsidy should be removed. The rationale behind it is to discourage people from consuming sugar too much. Without subsidy, that would mean an increase of 70% of sugar price!
Malaysian sugar dilemma
The 2006 National Health and Morbidity Survey said that over40% adults in Malaysia are overweight. That means almost half Malaysian adults are prone to diseases. Apart from not having exercise in their daily routine, most Malaysians consume sugar too much! It is estimated that Malaysians in average take 24 teaspoons of sugar daily, whereas only 10 teaspoon is the recommended daily intake.
Price increase, a no-no
My view is that price increase would not have desirable effect on sugar consumption. People would still be drinking their teh tarik and colas no matter the subsidy is removed or not. Just take a look at the tobacco industry. Price of cigarettes have been increased more than five times over the last 5 years, but there is no sign of people quitting.
Instead of raising the price of sugar, what government and general public should do is to find alternatives. There is a lot of sugar substitute out there, and natural ones are the best. Among the natural ones, Stevia sits on the top.
Stevia is currently the best, natural, non-calorific sweetener in the world. So why not, consider using stevia today?
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Happy Holidays, everyone!